The Other Volunteer
by anditsgonnabetotallyawesome
Summary: A rewrite with Gale volunteering for Peeta to go with Katniss.  Galeniss, ya don't like, ya don't read.  Please review!
1. Gale

Mmkay, so this is an idea I had because for some odd reason I just love re-writing the Hunger Games, but yeah…

If you love the Hunger Games, check out my forum, (see the link on my profile) and join!

If you love this, then you should check out my Prim's Game fic, which is a re-write with Prim in the games.

I don't put disclaimers because I don't claim to own the Hunger Games. Isn't that rather obvious?

Okay one last thing: Reviews for me are like clapping for Tinker Bell. They make me update faster, and improve my stories, so please review! ^^

-MS

_~Gale POV~_

My head is spinning.

Forty-Two Slips.

Forty-Two chances to be reaped.

I glance at Katniss. She's lucky, she's only got twenty chances. Rory, the older of my two little brothers is standing in the first row of boys, because he's only 12. Like Katniss' sister Prim, he's only got one slip in, I wouldn't let him take any extra.

Swallowing, I try to clear the pounding in my ears to hear the female tribute's name.

_Not Katniss. Anyone but Katniss. _I look at her, and she smiles weakly at me. This is not a time for happy smiles. Effie takes the stage and we break away to watch her overly manicured hand descend into the glass bowl that will determine mine and Katniss' future.

She pulls a slip, shuffling over to the microphone. I wonder how it's possible for her to walk in those heels, the heels look like they could snap in an instant. She clears her throat, trying to get our attention and I refocus on her.

"Primrose Everdeen"

_No! Not Prim—_"NO!" I hear her voice as she surges forward, trying to get to little Prim, the tiny little stick of a girl who's slowly walk towards the stage.

"I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" She screams, dashing to Prim as my heart breaks. Katniss, my Catnip, she can't go! I need her here, safe at home, not dead in a cardboard box from the capitol!

My feet force themselves forward, to Prim, before the peacekeeper can get to her, and blindly, I take her back to her mother, waiting behind the children, tears streaming down her face. I set Prim down on her feet, and her mother envelops her in a tight hug, holding her as I return to the rest of the boys, thoroughly shaken up.

Effie has Katniss by the arm, and they're saying something I can't hear through the grief clouding my ears. Katniss looks shell-shocked, and can barely hide her disgust for Effie's hand on her arm. Her face is a dead white, her eyes are huge as she takes in the severity of what she's done.

Two words echo through the deadness in my ears, because I know what I need to do.

"Peeta Mellark."

It's the baker's son. I mentally scoff as I step forward to the bottom of the stage, my eyes locked on Katniss' as she shakes her head no at me. I don't care. My mouth says the words, not my brain.

"I volunteer as tribute for Peeta Mellark," I say, pronouncing the words correctly in comparison to Effie, who is grinning ecstatically. Looking like that, I'm not surprised; this is probably the most excitement she gets in a year.

"Is it true? Another volunteer for District 12?" I step onto the stage with eyes only for Katniss, who is refusing to look at me, jaw set with anger.

"What's your name, darling?" I glance at Effie.

"Gale Hawthorne." My voice sounds disconnected. I can't hear it properly. The grief is clear throughout the whole town.

She giggles again, that awful squeal sounding more and more like a pig each time, "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present the tributes of District 12, Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne!"

To their credit, not a single person claps.

Not the ones holding betting slips.

Not the ones stoned as a mine.

Not the mayor.

Not Madge.

No one.

And then it starts, as if everyone had the same idea, as if everyone shared a mind, all at once, they raise their right hand, touch three fingers to their lips and hold it out to us, as we stand with our hands raised by Effie's awful paws.

It's our district's sign of goodbye, a way to bid adieu to someone you love. I swallow, and stand straighter, feeling the strength of our district behind me.

Effie giggles nervously, and drops our hands, clearly wanting to move things along. "Shake hands, you two!"

I hold out my hand to Katniss, who glares at me with a kind of angry hate that is just so irresistible. She takes my hand, shaking it once before dropping it like it's a wet slug, and it feels like we haven't known each other since we were little. It feels like we're strangers, meeting for the first time.

Peacekeepers walk over to us, surrounding us and separating us. I walk forward, and the feel of Katniss' cold shoulder chills me to the bone. A peacekeeper prods me in the back and I walk faster, into the justice building to the small room where I have three minutes to say goodbye to my life.

There's no way I'm going to live, because Katniss is going to win. I'm going to get us down to the last two and kill myself. Nobody can touch her with me there.

And if by some crazy freak of nature, she does die, I'll kill myself. I cannot imagine a life without my best friend and the object of the biggest crush I've ever had—

"Gale?" Madge comes bounding in, and leaps into my arms.


	2. Katniss

_~Katniss POV~_

I step forward to sign in.

My heart is in my throat.

Prim waits behind me, and I try to stand tall, try to look relaxed, but I can barely breathe.

What if I get reaped? What if she gets reaped? Mother will go into her head again, and I'll lose myself, or Prim will be lost.

I'm heralded into the crowds of people, to the other girls my age to wait and watch to see which of us will have to go into the games and be turned into a character on the Capitol's damn show.

I hold my back straight, allowing myself only one glance at Gale before looking back at the podium while the mayor makes his speech.

Reyana walks forward to pick the names.

The girls get to go first, the sooner she calls that name, the sooner I'll be able to run to Prim and hold her tight and never ever let her go.

"Primrose Everdeen."

The name is called before I have time to pray.

My mind circles around the answer for a moment, lost in the confusion of the name my ears heard, but my brain doesn't comprehend.

It's not possible.

Not Prim.

No.

My feet walk out of their own accord, past Prim, slowly trudging forward.

I think my mouth is moving, but I can't hear the words.

Just see the reactions of the people, the surprise, fear, anger, upset of the crowd.

My face must be pale white. My eyes search through the crowd for my little sister, my little Prim, and see her safe in my mother's arms, Gale slowly walking back to his spot, staring at me with a lost kind of look in his eyes.

"What's your name, dahling?"

Effie's awful screech pervades the cloud of silence, and I sigh, immediately wishing for it back. "Katniss. Katniss Everdeen."

I glance down at her awful hand touching me, her pointed nails scraped my skin.

I shudder in disgust. I hate her cold hands, how familiar she acts, no matter how openly I am disgusted with her.

"The boy tribute will be…Peeta Mellark!"

No. Not him.

Not the boy who gave me the bread, don't make him my adversary! I don't want to face him and kill him! He saved my life.

"I volunteer as tribute."

I know that voice.

I know that voice, but I don't want to hear it saying those words. I pinch my arm, and don't wake up. I'm not dreaming.

The moron really did just volunteer.

My heart drops to the ground.

I'm going to the arena with Gale.

Prim and Mother, and all of Gale's family is going be here in 12.

Without their main food supply.

I refuse to look at him when he walks on stage.

I won't accept it.

Asshole.

I shake his hand willingly, but I do not smile. I glare at him when we're forced to face each other, and flinch away when our shoulders blush as we walk into the justice building.

Time for goodbyes.

Time to say goodbye to all of the people I love.

All except for Gale.

I sit on the small couch in my room and wrap my arms around my legs as Prim and Mother walk in, teary eyed, and hug me.


	3. Gale 2

_~GPOV~_

"Madge, darling?" I say, smiling widely at her lithe figure as she embraces me from my lap.

"Gale! Why did you volunteer and leave me?" The sadness and hurt is plain in her eyes, as she turns so she's facing me.

I sigh, of course I can't tell my girlfriend the real reason. Yeah, I volunteered because I don't actually love you, I'm in love with Katniss…sorry? Not happening. "I have to do this, Madge. But there's something else I've got to do first." I look at her gently, biting my lip as I see the blood drain out of her face in fear.

"Wh-What is it?" The realization is obvious in her expression, pushing away the upset and hurt from my volunteering out of the way.

"I need to break up with you. I'm so sorry, Madge, darling, but I just can't be with you when I've fallen for someone else." I say the words slowly, feeling their weight as they roll of my tongue and I almost wish I could take them back when I see her face. _Almost_. But Katniss truly does mean more to me than Madge could ever dream of, though I just hate to hurt her.

"Right…" She says the one simple word slowly, eyes cast downward sadly. "Who is it?" She asks, though I can see it in the grim shape of her face, she already knows who it is, she wants to hear me say it.

"Katniss." I say the word softly, my voice barely a whisper and I see the pain lance through her face as she slowly slips off my lap, seeming to just realize she was still there.

"Katniss. That's why you volunteered!" She stands up, hurt and angry, storming through the peacekeepers as I call after her, trying to apologize, but am met with crossed white guns, and I stumble backwards. "Madge~" I try to call after her once more but to no avail.

Sighing, I return to the velvety couch to wait for my family's goodbyes. Strangely, I can't seem to comprehend the fact that I will probably be dead in a few weeks; all I can feel is a sort of blinding numbness.

Rory, Vick, Posy and my mother all run in at once, all their faces matching with tear stains through the thin layer of coal dust all of us in 12 have. The sadness in their eyes is all the same, and the grief all of them feel obvious.

My mother does not say anything; she already knows the answers to the questions most would ask. And I already know exactly what she'd say. There's an almost silent exchange before she leans forward to wrap her arms around me to pull me into a tight hug. She's not one to really express her feelings, but this simple hug says everything.

She steps back to allow my brothers and sister to hug me, all of them crying heavily. Vick tries to be strong, as the oldest, and he gives me a firm hug, biting his lip hard to try to remain strong. Numbly, I hug him back, tightly, letting myself cry a single tear to let him know it's alright to cry.

Rory steps up next, he's only eight, and he's bawling. He grabs my waist, wrapping his arms around me like he never wants to let go and I sadly hug him back, squatting down be on his level.

"Now, Rory, you gotta be a big boy for me, okay?" I look into his eyes as he nods, the eagerness of a new quest clear in his features as he walks over to clutch Vick. Those two have a strong bond, they're like two peas in a pod.

That's when Posy runs into my arms head-on, clutching me tightly as she cries into my shoulder. The youngest of the three, and my only sister, she refuses to let go of me. "'Ale, why you vol-teer?" She can't quite speak clearly yet, and her words are slightly messed up, but her adorable face makes anyone want to stop to decipher her speech.

"I had to, Posy. I'll be safe though, you help Mommy with cooking, okay?"

"Otay, 'Ale." She nods sadly, still not letting go of me.

"Good girl. I love you, Posy, Vick, Rory, Mom, all of you." I say, as I stand up with Posy in my arms, gently hugging her to my chest as I turn to each of them. "Vick, use the bow like I showed you, get some game for food. Rory, you help Vick as best you can, I know I didn't get the chance to show you as much, but you're amazing with those knives. Posy, baby, you try to work with Prim, learn how to use plants for food, kay? And Mom…no matter what, please stay safe."

All of them nod gravely before a peacekeeper bursts into the room, "Three minutes are up, get out!" He forces all of them out of the room as I hand Posy off to my mother.

The loss of all of them hits me then and there as I watch them being shoved away from me, Vick getting a kick as he turns back to me, eyes scared. I smile sadly, trying to seem happy for his sake.


End file.
